


Friendship and other things you should fear.

by IronHammer



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Friendship, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, M/M, Multi, Other, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Nightmares, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-05
Updated: 2018-04-28
Packaged: 2019-03-14 09:07:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13586850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IronHammer/pseuds/IronHammer
Summary: What if Iron man's identity was still a secret?Tony Stark certainly didn't think about the consequences of having a secret identity. Should be be a piece of cake right? he should've known that he couldn't keep such a big secret.An annoying Shield Director, stupid villains and a team full of idiots (Fury's words) made him regret his decision.Everything was under control, that was what he had thought.But what if the Avengers find out who really fights alongside them in the armour?They'll show him that it's okay to put trust in other people and that a Team doesn't let you down whatever may happen.





	1. Do not make me drop my mask to help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: So Bucky was with hydra but was found and cured with Starks B.A.R.F technology. He has a stark industries arm which Tony had made. Loki had been not himself during the invasion so Odin forced him to serve the Avengers for misbehaving.  
> Tony never had the arc reactor moved out and S.H.I.E.L.D never found out he was Ironman. He had built the new reactor on his own and got his fathers notes from S.H.I.E.L.D after they'd cleaned up some rooms and had found the stuff.

__This was not a good start into the day. ”Why does Fury always keeps bothering me...." grumbled the Genius while moving towards the S.H.I.E.L.D leader's office. "I'm not One of his minions."

"Yet you're still going Sir." Jarvis sounded far too amused for his liking. "Well...I am curious." The brunet admitted, finally reaching the door and pushing it open with an annoyed "This better be important.." Tony stopped when his eyes made contact with the rest of The Avengers. 

Well technically, he was one too. Only as Iron man, which hopefully still nobody knew. Well except Pepper and Rhodey. Tony was pretty sure the Hulk knew too. The confusing thing was why they were here. Steve and the others had no contact with Tony Stark, which was a good thing. 

Sure, he was the consultant and provided them with a home and their gear, sometimes joining them in meetings, but otherwise? Never. He was pretty sure they hated his guts. "Stark, finally." Fury glared at him which made him roll his eyes in return. That man was far too annoying, the eye patch daring him to make a pirate joke. ”Yep, here I am.” 

"Sit." See? Annoying asshole. Stark bit back a nasty comment. He complied and sat himself down, right beside Clint who looked at him curiously, fingers idly tapping a rhythm on the desk. Natasha stared at him from the other side of the table with that blank look that made him squirm. What was her deal? Cap stared at him with a look he couldn't identify. Probably his disappointed or weary face. 

Bucky didn't even seem to have noticed him. Rude. Bruce and Thor were the only ones smiling at him while Loki merely glanced up and then continued reading an old looking book. "Look at this." Tony's head snapped back to the director. Fury gave him a phone which the genius instantly began to examine. "What am I looking at?",asked Tony, skimming through the data's, finding a strange file 

"A phone, duh." Tony gave the archer a dirty look. Fury glared at Clint. "We got that phone delivered here today with that strange encoded message. At least we think it's a message.Sadly, even our best man couldn't decode it. As much as I hate to say it, we need your help." Oh, this was great. Tony loves rubbing his superiority into their faces. He totally forgot about that prank. 

"Jarvis, you seeing this?" Tony's brain was already starting to decode the message. "Yes sir, it appears to be..." Tony ignored the occupants of the room, his focus entirely on the phone. After what felt like an eternity, to Fury and the rest, Tony looked at them and instantly began laughing. 

"What is it?" Cap used his 'Captain America Is Disappointed In You' Face, and Voice. A deadly combination but Tony didn't care right now. This was....oh that was just great. Loki looked up and grinned at him. The genius got a hold of himself and handed Fury the now clearly readable message. "Someone was fucking with you."  
"Language."Steve sighed.  


"Dammit. A prank." Fury gritted his teeth. "Really? Aw man...." Clint leaned back in his chair. This was just a waste of time. ”What is the matter?",asked Thor looking at his brother. The god had been merely distracted by his mobile Device. ”It looks like our dear director let himself be pranked."  
Loki regarded the group with an amused smile. He couldn't really understand why they made such a fuss about such a minor thing. Humans. "Sir, what now?" Natasha ignored the others, watching the one-eyed man with a deadly expression on her face. "Shouldn't we find the culprit?" She turned her head, staring straight at Tony with narrowed eyes. 

”Hey, why are you looking at me! I didn't do it!....But I must admit it's a good way to screw with you, I could imagine me doing it. Damn, why wasn't that my idea." That had totally been his idea but Fury would be furious if that came out.Bruce laughed quietly after he stopped rambling.The antics of the genius where always very amusing. The scientist was pretty sure that Tony was the culprit for this dilemma. ”This is not funny, Stark!" Fury shouted, glaring at the unconcerned genius who just sat there, not entirely convinced that it hadn't been Tony who had sent the phone. After all, he had just admitted that it was something that he might do. 

"Well, it is for me." Tony shrugged, wondering why the Director of SHIELD was so upset about a simple prank. It wasn't like the phone had secretly been a bomb or stolen data or done anything even remotely dangerous. "I agree with Stark, it is fairly amusing." Loki's lips curled up into a slight smile, enjoying just how upset Fury was and Stark's nonchalant attitude towards it. Seeing the clear annoyance within Fury's one good eye, the mischievous God rather thought that the man was quite resembling his name. He looked near ready to explode. 

”Dismissed. Stark, I expect your bodyguard, Iron Man, to be at his best at the next mission.” The tone of his voice left no room for leniency as Nick narrowed his gaze down upon Tony, almost daring him to make one of his usual snarky comments. Tony stood up silently, not bothering to respond verbally. "Aye aye,mon Captain." 

He left the room, silently humming to himself as he exhaled slowly before letting a small smile cross his face now that no one could see it. That was fun, more than he thought it would be. It was better for them not to like him as himself, Tony knew. People just didn't want to be friends with him, they always left or tried to use him. Therefore, it was easier to maintain distance if they didn't like him from the start.' 

It wasn't easy managing SI meetings, building the Avengers gear and being Ironman at the same time. He loved it but Steve and the others didn't know that Tony stark had far more things to do than just providing them with gear and the stuff they needed. "And they keep asking for more....." 

The genius smiled when he finally reached his tower. Having a secret Identity was harder than he the Billionair had anticipated but nothing he could not handle. Tony went straight to his floor, locking himself in his lab with his bloved bots. "Maybe you should tell them Sir." Jarvis' voice helped him relax as he leaned back on his couch. "Bad Idea. They like iron man, but they don't like Tony Stark. I'm not really a hero." Admitting the truth hurt more than he liked it to do. 

”That's not true Sir. From my observations can I conclude that they do not, in fact, dislike you. They just don't know you. Maybe getting closer to them would help." Tony shook his head. "I don't need them, hell, my issues have issues. I can't sleep. I'm the master of bad decisions. What would they possibly want from me other than money and better weapons?"  


"Sir, if they cannot see how great you are, than they don't deserve you. Please refrain from talking yourself down like that." Jarvis sounded sad which brought a small, sincere smile to his face. "Love you J." Tony didn't even try to hide his affection for his AI. Jarvis was family and understood him the best. DUMM-E biped and pulled at his sleeve. "Someone wants to play fetch..." The inventor grinned as he took the ball from DUMM-Es claw, throwing it in the far corner of his workshop. You and Butterfinger biped happily in the background. "We love you too Sir."  
Yes, this was home.


	2. You don't have to like me. I'm helping anyway.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers are needed again when the Enchantress decided to attack the city. She thought of something very different this time and the team find themselves fighting against unusual enemies. That wouldn't be so difficult if Thor would just stop trying to eat the enemies and some team members would just stop acting like kids. Easier said than done.

Ironman!" Steve's voice sounded slightly strangled through the comms. " Don't get your panties in a twist Cap. I'm here." Tony picked Steve up and flew the Captain a few streets away to a better location. "Why the fuck are we fighting, ....just...Pop-Tarts?". The genius cursed even getting out of the bed this morning.

Clint was not amused, this was a whole new level of weirdness . "No Thor, please stop try eating them." Natasha hit the god while shaking her head with exasperation. "But lady Natasha.....". "She said no you stupid oaf. We are not aware of what they're made off",replied Loki annoyed. His brother was stupid as always. The trickster had doubts about the intelligence of his brother. Again. 

Brother, you do care-" The cold glare which Loki send him stopped Thor from continuing his sentence. Why was his brother never showing that he cared. It made him miss the days when they were little.Loki used to seek him out when he wanted a cuddle or had a problem. But now.... The god of thunder shook his head. This was not the place nor the time to dwell on that. 

"Amora truly hates us." Steve sighed, giving new orders while listening to his teammate's chatter. "Jupp. But she loves Pikachu." Tony took two more Pop-Tarts out while trading bad puns with Clint through the comms. 

”Freaking weird”,murmured the genius tiredly. How did this become his life? He could invent awesome stuff instead of this meaningless fighting. Like a flying coffee machine. The world definitely needed one of those. 

Thor fried another pop-tart, looking at it longingly. He loved the treats, it was such a shame to destroy them. "Aye,I am truly sorry of what Is happening, at least it is such a nice opponent. The Enchantress has truly outdone herself.” 

Steve sliced a Pop-Tart in two, his Shield making a strange squelching sound. The captain made a face. "Not your Fault Thor." "Jesus how many are there?",grumbled Clint annoyed. "Definitely too many", replied Natasha while hiding behind a wall. She waited for the right opportunity to strike.Tony landed with an audible thud beside her and punched one straight into a wall. The Black Widow send him a grateful smile in return. 

Tony groaned. ”Ugh, we should let Thor eat them..that would be faster.." Thor looked hopefully at his Shield brothers. "Ye-" "NO" The god of thunder turned huge blue eyes towards his brother and then to the Captain. "You bring me great grief...." Loki just scoffed. "Oh, as if that's something new." ”Sorry Thor. You can eat some back at the tower." Steve patted him on the shoulder, moving forward. 

The Thunder God huffed out a heavy breath and continued smashing the, in his eyes, delicious enemies. A loud roar could be heard in the distance. The Hulk seemed to have a lot of fun smashing the moving food. Nobody stopped him from eating them though. They weren't stupid. Thor definitely didn't sulk about that fact. 

Um guys?.." Tony swallowed. "Can anyone identify that flying...something? What even is this? It looks like a bird, but I'm not so sure anymore.” Natasha rolled her eyes looking up. "Are you alright?” Yeah." Tony made a sharp turn to the right, escaping the sharp teeth just in time. 

"And it wants a piece of me. Well, that's understandable, who wouldn't. I'm flattered. Really. But I prefer not being eaten." Tony kept trying to blast the damn thing out of the sky but it just wouldn't budge. "Your ego is truly fascinating Man of Iron." "Like your one to talk Reindeer." 

Steve sighed. Kids, all of them. Weren't they supposed to be adults? "Are you alright?",asked Steve looking up too, watching them. "Ehm, how about no? That thing-" He took another sharp turn around a building. 

"Just woah!" It managed to get near his leg, sinking sharp teeth into it with vicious intent. Tony wasn't able to muffle his scream. "Son of a-" The beast, which looked like some weird kind of bird hybrid began shaking him like a ragdoll. 

God,his head started to ring badly. He was never going to hear the end of this. Pepper was going to kill him... "Shellhead!" There was a short moment which Tony was pretty sure that he's spent passed out because the next moment he was aware of his surroundings,things looked differently. Very differently. He was on the ground and couldn't see anything. Do not let him start on the giant headache and blood in his mouth. 

This was Not good. Tony coughed while blinking the stars away from his vision. Someone was trying to pry his armour away. Why? Muffled voices cut through his foggy thoughts. No...they couldn't know, if they open the suit they would know.... "Jarvis...?" Tonys voice definitely didn't break. "Fly me...to m..private doctor..." 

"Sir..." "Now." He closed his eyes again. The suit stood up and Tony cursed. Great, that was probably more than one broken rib. "Thank god, Ironman, are you okay? We need..." Steve looked worried and so did the rest of the team. 

Bless Jarvis who just continued moving the suit for him. He didn't want to deal with them now. The armour took off without answering. He did feel bad for just leaving them like that though. 

”Jarvis, be a dear and send them a notification that Ironman will be treated by Starks best doctors in private and will be in recovery." Tony groaned when he could feel everything now that the adrenaline has faded. Was his arm supposed to hurt this bad? 

Pepper was going to ban him from his workshop. Again. And he needed to hide from the Avengers, SHIELD, the public eye....they could draw the parallels between him and Ironman if they saw his injuries. God, having a secret identity was a pain in the ass. The Genius sighed again, he could think about those matters later. He needed painkillers first. A lot of them. The good ones, obviously. He's going to have a boring week. 

Steve watched Iron man flying away. That can't be right, they're supposed to be a team. He cannot vanish like that. ”That's not good...” Natasha came to stand besides the captain, inspecting her gun. ”Fury's not going to like his absence at the debriefing again.” Steve watched Thor and Loki quarrel. ”I think we have to make an appointment with Mr. Stark.”


	3. When there's a will, there's a way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony's okay. Definitely okay,shut up Jarvis. He Is not avoiding the Captain,well he kind of is but he has valid reasons to do so. What the genius did not expected was an assassins dropping out of his vents. Fucking hell.

Tony tried to avoid the Avengers at all costs. Tried was the important word here. The Captain seemed very determined to get an appointment with him and the genius had a pretty good idea why.  
  
So showing up with an arm in a cast and all bruised up would be not such a smart move.It did not help that Jarvis had locked him out of his lab too.That traitor. He was so damn bored!  
"Sir. Another message from the Captain." A sigh escaped Tony’s mouth which curved downwards into a frown.  
  
"He is such a stubborn man urgh! Just tell him the same thing again. I am busy. With Very important business stuff."  
  
"Believable as always, Sir. Also, Mr Barton is in the vents again. I would advise you change positions he is quite near." How does that guy even fits in those? Clint better not destroy something in there.  
  
"Wait. How close?",asked Tony while moving out of his kitchen anxiously. "And how did he got up here? Jarvis?Is your security system not functioning" Huh, the silence was unnerving. "Jarvis? D-" A crash made him screech loudly, his unhurt hand covering the arc reactor immediately.  
  
"Stark. There you are. Y-" Clint's eyes seemed to instantly assess the state he was in. The Archers mouth quirked upwards. "That explains so many things. Now I owe Natasha 50 bucks man." Tony groaned and turned away. God he needed some coffee now.He needed to talk with his AI later too. This was nor suppose to happen.  
  
"I guess I cannot convince you that I got hurt in a lab accident and you do not tell anybody?"  
Clint hopped onto his kitchen counter. "Nope. It's pretty obvious and also….Cap has been restless since Iron man got hurt. And if he's like that, Bucky’s also not happy. If Bucky's not happy, Natasha has no Russian conversations with him about weapons. I tell you, she's been cleaning her knives for hours just glaring at the wall…."  
  
The genius raised an eyebrow. The captain in a bad mood? ”Why does he even care."  
Clint gave him a long look. "You're our teammate, duh. Of course, [I]we care. We respected your intentions of keeping your identity a secret so we did not tried to force you to reveal anything. But I just wanna ask, why the hiding?"  
The ’because Ironman is a hero and tony stark is not’ was right on his lips.  
  
"I had no choice. Stark Industries had enough problems at that Time with O-...Stane. And it would’ve gotten Pepper and Rhodey in danger." That's at least a little bit true.Clint looked like he wanted to say more but Seemed to decide against it. Tony couldn't be more thankful.  
  
A grin fought his way onto the others face. "So tin can. How about we play some video games before I'll tell fury? You look beat man." Tony tried to fight a grin on his own. "Sounds good.."  
Why was Clint so nice to him though?  
  
Tony had to face the Avengers two hours later. Fury told him that he has to move onto the floor where they all live and also participate in team bonding exercise from now on.Whatever those are.He had gotten a bad feeling about the whole thing when Bruce started smirking at him.  
  
As fury left muttering something that sounded a lot like ’Why do I even have to deal with all that shit’ Rogers started walking towards him. "Stark."  
"Call me Tony. Mr Stark was my father." The Captain shook his hand, he had a firm grip.  
  
"Tony. Call me Steve then.You will be off duty until you're fully healed." He tried to argue of course but nothing seemed to have any effect on the man. Stupid patriotic capsicle. Steve even had the nerve to smile at him. Stupid patristic ass with a beautiful smile.  
  
He had a strangely nice conversation with Bruce about one of his projects and with Loki of all people, about how he trolled his brother lately with a smartphone.He was pretty impressed at that.It was nice….

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading ^^ It's my first fanfiction here,hope you like it <3 *gives cookies*


End file.
